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Bahawal Khan to succeed Pakistan militant leader Mullah Nazir Bahawal Khan to succeed Pakistan militant leader Mullah Nazir
(about 2 hours later)
A successor to Pakistani militant leader Mullah Nazir, who was killed in a US drone strike, has been named. A successor to Pakistani militant leader Mullah Nazir, who was killed in a US drone strike, has been announced.
Bahawal Khan, who also goes by the name Salahuddin Ayubi, has taken command of Nazir's group, officials say. Bahawal Khan, who also goes by the name Salahuddin Ayubi, has taken command of Mullah Nazir's group, officials say.
Mullah Nazir died when two missiles struck his vehicle in the tribal area of South Waziristan on Wednesday.Mullah Nazir died when two missiles struck his vehicle in the tribal area of South Waziristan on Wednesday.
He headed one of four major insurgent factions in Pakistan's north-west and was a key figure in supplying fighters and support to the Afghan Taliban.He headed one of four major insurgent factions in Pakistan's north-west and was a key figure in supplying fighters and support to the Afghan Taliban.
"Ayubi, whose real name is Bahawal Khan, was appointed as top commander of the group after Nazir's funeral," a Pakistani intelligence official told the AFP news agency."Ayubi, whose real name is Bahawal Khan, was appointed as top commander of the group after Nazir's funeral," a Pakistani intelligence official told the AFP news agency.
He said Ayubi has been a long-time close associate of Nazir and is well-respected by those within the militant group. Clerics and tribal elders had backed the appointment, a spokesman for the militant faction told the Express Tribune newspaper.
Bahawal Khan, said to be aged 34 and an illiterate former bus driver, is a long-time close associate of Mullah Nazir, the two men having fought together alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan before the 2001 US invasion.
BBC correspondents say Bilawal Khan is seen as hot-tempered, unlike his predecessor. But he is nevertheless expected to maintain the tribal consensus that Mullah Nazir had built up to keep his power base around the town of Wana largely peaceful.
In recent years there have been divisions among Taliban militant groups based in Pakistan's tribal areas.
'Significant blow''Significant blow'
Mullah Nazir is one of the most high-profile insurgents killed by US drones. Mullah Nazir was one of the most high-profile insurgents killed by US drones. The faction he led straddles the border with Afghanistan.
The faction he led is based along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. In recent years there have been divisions among Taliban militant groups based in Pakistan's tribal areas. For the Americans, he is a prized catch, as he headed one of the three major militant groups in the Waziristan region that focused their attacks on Nato-led troops in neighbouring Afghanistan, the BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says.
Analysts say Mullah Nazir formed an alliance with the government and opposed the Pakistani Taliban, with whom he was at odds because he favoured attacking US forces in Afghanistan rather than Pakistani soldiers. But his killing will be viewed by some as a dent in Pakistan's preparations for the departure of foreign troops from Afghanistan, our correspondent adds.
Reports say he was also seen as an enemy of militants from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), and praised by Pakistan for expelling Uzbek and other foreign fighters from Pakistan in 2007. Pakistan has worked hard to maintain a crucial strategic balance in Waziristan by forging peace with militant factions focused on the Afghan insurgency rather than on targets inside Pakistan.
He had survived several attempts to kill him, including a suicide bomb attack blamed on rival militants in November. Mullah Nazir had formed an alliance with the government and opposed the fourth main militant faction, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has concentrated its fire inside Pakistan since 2007.
The Pentagon did not confirm Nazir's death on Thursday, but said it would be a "significant blow" to extremist groups in the region. He was also seen as an enemy of militants from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), and was praised by Pakistan for expelling Uzbek and other foreign fighters from Pakistan in that year.
His death could be a contentious issue between Washington and Islamabad, observers say, because the Pakistani military views commanders like him as key to keeping the peace internally. Observers say there have been fears that Mullah Nazir's death could upset this delicate balance, especially if the TTP, which is linked to the Mehsud tribe, is able to force an advantage in Wana.
Drone strikes have increased in frequency since US President Barack Obama took office in 2009. Hundreds of people have been killed, stoking public anger in Pakistan. In recent months, the TTP has also carried out a number of attacks against the Wazir tribe in Wana, including a suicide bombing in November that injured Mullah Nazir.
The dead include senior al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders, as well as an unknown number of other militants and civilians.
The US does not normally comment on individual drone operations, but last year it emerged in the New York Times that the US president had personally approved or vetoed each drone strike.
Islamabad has called for an end to the attacks, saying they violate the country's sovereignty, but analysts say Pakistan has privately sanctioned such actions in the past.